116 



STABLE MANAGEMENT. 



Fresh air, without a thorough draught ; keeping 

 the stall cool, not cold ; and the horse warm, not hot ; 

 good grooming ; proper clothing ; daily airing of the 

 jhools ; cleanness of litter ; strict attention to the food 

 and water, and punctuality in giving them ; constant 

 regard to the appetite ; careful observance of the 

 dung and urine ; never disturbing while at rest ; stop- 

 ping the feet every day, and night ; shoeing once in 

 every twenty-five days ; physicking only when actu- 

 ally necessary ; sweating only when actually requir- 

 ed ; and enforcing the mildest of treatment/' 5 ' but at 

 the same time never teasing with kindness, constitute 

 the essence of stable management. 



DIFFERENCE OF FORM, ETC. 



What description of horse are you about to train ? 

 Is he a slight, or a narrow-chested, or a flat-sided, or 

 a delicate, or a hot fiery horse ; or the reverse of all 

 this ? A powerful-limbed, fine-chested, well circular- 

 barreled, strong, quiet-dispositioned horse : and is he 

 young or old ? for, according as he varies between all 

 these, so must your training vary. Has he been on- 

 ly a short time out of the stables, and just advancing 

 into something of that state we left him in at p. 100, 

 under " EXERCISE," or was he half trained last year, 

 and been kept in tolerably strong exercise, with pro- 

 portionate hard food ever since ? The latter has a 

 decided advantage ; and if he has been down the 



* Gora-wallas are seldom known to wrong a horse ; though covering them- 

 selves, by mistake, on a cold night with his jhool, and pilfering a little of the 

 evening's feed, are no very uncommon occurrences. 



